Green List New Zealand
14/09/2026
Picture your day starting to the calmer rhythm of life in New Zealand, a country that genuinely values midwives and needs more of them. From Auckland’s busy maternity wards to the close-knit communities of Christchurch and Hamilton, New Zealand offers midwives worldwide the chance to live, work, and grow in one of the most rewarding healthcare settings anywhere. And right now, the door is wider open than it’s been in years.
Midwives sit on Tier 1 of New Zealand’s Green List, so you can apply for the Straight to Residence Visa as soon as you have a genuine, full-time job offer from an accredited New Zealand employer, no prior work visa stage required. You’ll need registration (or eligibility for registration) with the Midwifery Council of New Zealand, a job meeting the wage threshold, and to be 55 or under. Most residence decisions take roughly six to ten months once lodged.
New Zealand’s Green List is a government-maintained list of occupations the country urgently needs, split into two tiers. Tier 2 roles follow a longer Work to Residence route, where you work in New Zealand for a set period before residence becomes available. Tier 1 works differently, and it’s the tier midwives sit on: you can lodge a residence application directly once you meet the requirements, without a stopover on a temporary visa first.
In practice, this means the months many migrants spend proving themselves on a work visa before reapplying for residence simply aren’t part of your journey. You secure a qualifying job offer, confirm your registration, and apply for residence, in that order.
New Zealand isn’t short of midwives in the abstract; it shows up as real staffing gaps in real maternity units. Immigration New Zealand placed Midwife (ANZSCO 254111) on Tier 1 to give qualified overseas professionals a chance at permanent residence through the Straight to Residence Visa. It’s a direct acknowledgement of how much the country’s maternity care model relies on midwives, both in hospital-based teams and as independent Lead Maternity Carers working directly with families. An ageing midwifery workforce, paired with steady population growth in several regions, has left many District Health Boards short-staffed, and this pathway is the government’s answer.
Three pillars hold this pathway up: your professional registration, your job offer, and your personal eligibility.
Professional registration. You must be registered, or eligible for registration, with the Midwifery Council of New Zealand (Te Tatau o te Whare Kahu), not the Nursing Council, which handles nursing registrations separately. If you trained overseas, the Council assesses your qualification, your recent practice hours, and your English language ability, commonly evidenced through an IELTS score of 7 overall, or an equivalent OET result, before granting registration. This step often takes longer than people expect, so starting early is worth it.
| Requirement | What It Means for You |
|---|---|
|
Occupation |
Midwife (ANZSCO 254111), listed on Tier 1 of the Green List |
|
Registration |
Current or eligible registration with the Midwifery Council of New Zealand |
|
Job offer |
Full-time (30+ hours/week), permanent or 12+ month fixed term, from an accredited employer |
|
Wage |
Must meet or exceed the Green List median wage threshold (NZD $35.00/hour, from March 2026) |
|
Age |
55 years or under at time of application |
|
Visa type |
Green List Straight to Residence Visa |
The process is fairly linear once you understand the pieces. First, you secure registration, or confirm your eligibility for it, with the Midwifery Council. Second, you apply for and accept a full-time job offer from an accredited employer, who arranges a Job Check for the role. Third, with your job offer and Job Check confirmed, you lodge your residence application online. Immigration New Zealand then assesses your health, character, and employment evidence, typically over six to ten months. On approval, you receive a resident visa valid for an initial 24 months, after which you’re eligible for a permanent resident visa once you’ve met the standard residency conditions.
None of these stages require you to already be in New Zealand. Many successful applicants complete registration and secure a job offer while still overseas, then apply for residence from home.
One of the quieter benefits of the Green List Straight to Residence pathway is that it isn’t just about you. Once your residence application is approved, your partner and any dependent children can generally be included, giving your whole household the same right to live, work, and study in New Zealand.
If your partner needs to arrive before your residence decision comes through, they may qualify for a Partner of a Worker Work Visa or a Partner of a Worker Visitor Visa, letting them join you in New Zealand while your case is being finalised. School-aged children moving with you are usually covered under a Dependent Child Student Visa or, for shorter stays, a Dependent Child Visitor Visa. It’s worth mapping out your family’s visa needs alongside your own application, rather than as an afterthought once your job offer is confirmed.
Midwives are in demand across public hospitals and community-based practice throughout the country, and most overseas-trained midwives start out within Health New Zealand’s regional teams or dedicated Maternity Units, which typically offer structured orientation and ongoing professional development.
A few regions stand out for different reasons. Auckland is the country’s largest healthcare hub, home to major maternity facilities including Auckland City Hospital, and tends to have the widest range of vacancies. Wellington is known for a strong work-life balance and well-regarded maternity units. Christchurch suits midwives prioritising family life alongside career growth, while Hamilton has particularly strong community-based maternity networks. For those after a quieter pace, Dunedin and Tauranga offer smaller-city environments without sacrificing professional support.
Qualifying for the pathway on paper is one thing; navigating registration, job offers, and visa lodgement in the right order is another. This is where working with an experienced adviser tends to save the most time.
Our support typically covers a free eligibility assessment, checking your qualifications, registration status, and job prospects against Tier 1 requirements before you commit to anything. From there, we help with recruitment connections to accredited employers actively hiring midwives, CV and interview preparation tailored to how New Zealand healthcare employers actually hire, and employer liaison to help move Job Check applications along efficiently. Once you have a qualifying offer, our team handles full visa lodgement, from an initial work visa if needed through to your residence application, including any family members joining you.
A handful of mistakes come up repeatedly with Green List applications. Some applicants accept a job offer before confirming their employer actually holds current Immigration New Zealand accreditation, only to discover the offer doesn’t count toward their application. Others assume any midwifery-related role automatically qualifies, when the position needs to substantially match the ANZSCO description and clear the wage threshold precisely. And many overseas-trained midwives underestimate how long Midwifery Council registration takes, particularly if extra practice hours or an Overseas Competence Programme module is required. Starting registration months before you begin job hunting avoids the most common source of delay.
If you’re a skilled midwife ready to make an impact, and start a new chapter, in New Zealand, the Tier 1 Green List gives you one of the most direct routes to permanent residence available today. Ezy Immigration can walk you through every step, from checking your eligibility to your final approval. Set up your free eligibility check with Ezy Immigration and find out exactly where you stand, or read our related guide on how to migrate to New Zealand for the wider picture.
Midwifery’s place on Tier 1 of the Green List reflects a genuine, ongoing need in New Zealand’s health system, and it gives qualified midwives one of the most direct residence pathways on offer. If you hold current Midwifery Council registration, or are eligible for it, and can secure a full-time role with an accredited employer, there’s very little standing between you and a resident visa. The requirements are specific, but achievable, and plenty of internationally trained midwives have already made this move successfully.
If you’re comparing options more broadly, it’s worth reading how the pathway looks for registered nurses and mental health nurses, since several healthcare roles share similar Green List conditions.
You apply to the Midwifery Council of New Zealand, which assesses your overseas qualification, recent practice hours, and English language results. If your training is broadly equivalent to a New Zealand midwifery degree, you may register directly; otherwise, bridging modules through the Overseas Competence Programme may be required first.
You need current or eligible registration with the Midwifery Council, a full-time job offer from an accredited employer meeting the wage threshold, and to be 55 or under. Together these qualify you for the Green List Straight to Residence Visa, applied for directly without a prior work visa stage.
Health New Zealand (Te Whatu Ora) regularly advertises midwifery vacancies nationwide, alongside specialist healthcare recruitment agencies working with overseas-trained staff. Immigration advisers, including Ezy Immigration, can also connect you with accredited employers actively recruiting.
The Midwifery Council of New Zealand handles registration assessments specifically for midwives, while Immigration New Zealand separately assesses whether your job offer substantially matches the Green List occupation description. Both are usually best started in parallel.
You submit an online application through the Midwifery Council’s MyMCANZ portal, along with identity verification, a police check, two character references, and evidence of your qualification and recent practice. Once documents are verified, you’re issued registration and can apply for your Annual Practising Certificate.
Health New Zealand’s careers site lists current vacancies across every region, alongside private maternity providers and specialist healthcare recruiters. Many hospitals run dedicated recruitment campaigns for internationally qualified midwives, often with relocation and orientation support included.
The Midwifery Council’s Overseas Competence Programme is the main bridging pathway for internationally qualified midwives. Several New Zealand universities also offer postgraduate midwifery papers for ongoing professional development once you’re registered.
Under the MERAS and NZNO Midwifery collective agreements, base salaries typically range from around NZD $72,952 to $100,389 a year, depending on experience and step. Most roles also include penal rates, on-call allowances, and overtime on top of base pay.
Because midwifery sits on Tier 1 of the Green List, the Straight to Residence Visa is the primary and most direct option. Some midwives choose to enter first on an Accredited Employer Work Visa while registration is finalised, then transition to residence once eligible.
Many Health New Zealand employers offer relocation packages, including flights, temporary accommodation, and settling-in support, for internationally recruited midwives. Licensed immigration advisers, such as Ezy Immigration, can also guide you through the practical side of the move alongside your visa application.
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